A University of North Carolina professor has launched a furious campaign against athletics administrators, demanding they rein in Bill Belichick's football players following a series of speeding tickets, reckless driving charges, and parking infractions.
Professor's Five-Month Campaign
Mark Peifer, a cancer cell biology researcher who has taught at UNC since 1992, has spent five months inundating university officials and athletics director Bubba Cunningham with emails and photographs documenting player misconduct. 'Is there no one who can rein in these players, probably only a subset of the football team, who are tarnishing the reputation of our school and of all Carolina athletes?' Peifer wrote in a recent email to Cunningham.
The professor alleges that players have parked in disabled bays, reversed into spots against university rules, raced through narrow parking decks, and cursed at him when confronted about their behavior.
Investigation Reveals Widespread Violations
A WRAL investigation last year uncovered that nearly 20 percent of the 101-man roster had been cited for driving violations, including 31 speeding tickets and 10 reckless driving charges. When confronted in November, Belichick stated: 'Our conduct outside of the building is important to us, and we stress that. We've addressed multiple things, not just that.'
However, the message appears to have fallen on deaf ears. Cunningham, who has served as athletics director since 2011, grew increasingly frustrated with Peifer's ongoing complaints. 'I appreciate your notes and I have spoken to the football staff,' Cunningham wrote in November. 'Disappointed it has not changed behavior.' By April 27, his patience had worn thin: 'I don't know how many more times I can apologize,' he told Peifer. 'Disappointing to say the least.'
Peifer noted that Cunningham's intervention briefly improved behavior, with fewer cars in disabled bays and less racing through decks, but the worst conduct had fully resumed by late April.
Professor's Dire Warning
In a May 5 email, Peifer's patience had evaporated entirely. 'Apparently UNC football players have decided final exams are the perfect time to demonstrate their privilege and immunity to the rules,' he wrote. He warned: 'I guess when an innocent bystander is killed this will get some attention - but then it will be too late.' UNC's athletics department responded only that it would continue with 'safe driving education.'
Notable Offenders
Among the most frequent violators is Demon June, the team's leading rusher in 2025, who has been cited three times since February, including for reckless driving after allegedly hitting 101 mph in a 65-mph zone. Transfer tight end Jelani Thurman, part of Ohio State's powerhouse 2024 roster, fared little better, racking up four citations between January and April, twice for speeds exceeding 100 mph. At least five of the star players UNC highlighted in its 're-signing' campaign this January have since been cited for speeding.
